Prosecutors: Law firm bookkeeper stole $226,000

July 08, 2010

A former office manager at a downtown law firm used her position as bookkeeper for the firm to write herself more than $226,000 in checks to cover credit card and chiropractor bills, prosecutors said today.

Rosalba Garcia, 32, of the Southwest Side, was ordered held on $50,000 bail following an appearance in Cook County Central Bond Court today, according to a release from the Cook County state's attorney's office.

Garcia had worked for the Goldberg Law Group--formerly Goldberg & Frankenstein--as the firm's bookkeeper and office manager, writing 159 checks for herself out of the firm's funds, according prosecutors. As she wrote the checks between Nov. 19, 2005, and August 2009, Garcia concealed the thefts by changing entries in the firm's bookkeeping system to make it look like the money was going to contractors for the firm, according to the release.

The firm became suspicious and told authorities after a credit card company contacted them about Garcia paying her bills with the firm's checks.

Most of the money--more than $218,000--went to pay Garcia's credit card bills. She is believed to have stolen $226,400, prosecutors said.